A Half-Day Tour of the National Palace Museum in Taiwan: A Treasure Trove of 700,000 Artifacts

It takes about 30-40 minutes to get to the National Palace Museum from Taipei Main Station by public transportation. The easiest way is to take the MRT Red Line to Shilin Station (士林站) and then transfer to a bus. From Shilin Station, take bus No. 30 or similar, which will drop you right in front of the museum's main entrance. The bus ride takes about 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, take a taxi, which will take you directly from Taipei Main Station in 20-25 minutes. The museum is located on a hill in Xilin District, north of Taipei, offering breathtaking views. The National Palace Museum is a world-renowned museum, housing approximately 700,000 ancient Chinese cultural artifacts. Originally located in the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial Collection was relocated to Taiwan in 1949 with the Kuomintang government. Its historical value and scale make it one of the world's top five museums, alongside the Louvre and the British Museum. The museum showcases the essence of 8,000 years of Chinese culture, including bronzeware, ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, and jadeware. The museum's signature pieces, the jade-shaped cabbage carvings and the pig-shaped stones, are a testament to the museum's incredibly sophisticated craftsmanship. Even though I visited on a weekday morning, the crowds were surprisingly large. I recommend starting on the third floor and slowly working your way down. The blue-and-white porcelain in the ceramics exhibition hall was truly beautiful, and the gilt-bronze Buddha statues in the Buddhist sculpture exhibition hall, in particular, exuded a sense of reverence, evoked by the religious fervor of the time. I recommend setting aside at least 2-3 hours for your visit! #OverseasTravel